Getting to Bath

Bath has excellent transport links. Bath Spa train station is on the main line between Bristol and London, Bristol Airport is about an hour away and the city is close to the M4 motorway.

https://www.bath.ac.uk/guides/travelling-to-the-city-of-bath/

https://visitbath.co.uk/plan-your-visit/travelling-to-bath/

Traveling by Air

  • Traveling from Bristol Airport to Bath

Our nearest airport is Bristol International Airport. It is just 20 miles from Bath, making it the city’s closest airport. It currently serves over 100 destinations worldwide. The A4 Air Decker bus service(https://www.airdecker.com/) will take you directly from the airport to Bath. You can also catch the Bristol Flyer Airport Express (http://flyer.bristolairport.co.uk/) from the airport to Bristol Temple Meads rail station to travel to Bath by train.

  • Traveling from Heathrow Airport to Bath

Heathrow Airport is 100 miles east of Bath on the M4 motorway. A regular coach service runs directly from the airport to Bath with a total journey time of 120-to-180 minutes. A Heathrow Express train service runs between the airport and London Paddington, where you can then pick up a direct train service to Bath Spa railway station. The complete journey time for this is around 135 minutes.

  • Travelling from Gatwick Airport to Bath

Gatwick Airport is 140 miles east of Bath. You can take a train from the airport to Reading train station where you can pick up a train service to Bath Spa railway station, with a total journey time of approximately 180 minutes. Alternatively, catch a coach from Gatwick Airport via Heathrow Airport to Bath with a journey time of approximately 270 minutes.

Traveling by Train

Bath Spa Railway Station is conveniently located in the heart of the city centre, just a short walk from Bath’s shops and attractions, including the historic Roman Baths and Thermae Bath Spa. There are frequent services from London, Bristol and South Wales to Bath Spa Railway station (BTH). It just takes 80 minutes to deliver you to the heart of the World Heritage Site city from London Paddington with regular high-speed services. A taxi rank can be found immediately outside the main exit of the station, and Bath bus station is located just a minutes’ walk along Dorchester Street.

Visit National Rail (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/) or Trainline (https://www.thetrainline.com/) for train timetables, fares and cheap advance tickets.

Traveling by Car and Parking in the City of Bath

Bath is located just ten miles from junction 18 of the M4 motorway, which runs directly from London and Heathrow Airport. There are also excellent motorway links from the north, Devon and Cornwall via the M5 motorway, and Wales is just a short drive west on the M4 motorway. As Bath is a small city, the roads can become congested at busy times. To avoid traffic, we recommend using one of the city’s three Park and Ride services. Take care when driving around the city, as there are a number of one-way streets and bus lanes in operation. Download this handy parking map (https://visitbath.co.uk/documents/site/Bath_Parking_Map.pdf) to find your nearest car park in Bath.

Aerial view of the city of Bath
Map of Bath city centre